'Couldn’t Deliver': RCB Director Makes BOLD Admission Amidst Fan Criticism Over IPL Auction Strategy

After the much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Mega Auction, fans took to social media to criticize the management of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and their decisions during the recently concluded mega-auction. RCB let go of several players that had been representing the team for the past few seasons and had some buys which according to fans was ‘questionable’.

Post the auction, RCB Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat addressed the noise and shared the strategy behind the team’s calculated approach going into the auctions and decisions. He emphasized that RCB focused on building a balanced and competitive squad and stayed clear of the unpredictable nature of the auction. 

RCB's Director Of Cricket Mo Bobat Explains Mentality Going Into The Auction

Choosing not to participate in the initial stage of the auction and focusing only on players they wanted was a deliberate strategy by the team management of RCB. Mo Bobat revealed that the franchise has learnt from their past failures and tried to do things differently this time. 

Read More: David Warner & Other Top Stars Who Went UNSOLD at IPL Auction 2025

“Let’s be honest—RCB has never won the IPL. In the past, we’ve focused on spending big on a small number of players. This year, we approached it differently, aiming to assemble a balanced team rather than disproportionately spending on top-order batters as we may have done before. Jitesh Sharma is a high-quality Indian player who adds real power down the order—someone who might be able to replicate some of DK's finishing,” explained Mo Bobat.

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma (₹11 CR) added a finishing strength to the lower order, creating a formidable batting lineup, while the addition of the experienced Krunal Pandya (₹5.75 CR) and West Indian Romario Shepherd provided the skill needed in both batting and the bowling departments. 

RCB Building A Balanced Bowling Unit As Management Provides Insight

Royal Challengers Bengaluru picked up several capped and uncapped bowlers for their lineup. The management of RCB bought in several experienced bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and have got some performing uncapped players to back them up. 

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“It was really great to get Bhuvi today, that level of skill, along with Krunal's level of skill, will complement Hazlewood coming back to RCB. It'd be great to have him back at back at the club. Yash Dayal, we saw what he did last year and we've got a Rasikh salam, vying for a place as well. So that sort of skill, I think, is a skill in the bowling department is what you need at Chinnaswamy. So, to have that level of skill, secured is a good feeling for us. Well, we got a lot of our first options, actually. So, we're really happy with where we stand at the moment,” said the Head Coach, Andy Flower.

The buying strategy also focused on uncapped players. The buys of Suyash Sharma (₹2.2 CR) and Rasikh Dar (₹6 CR) were aligned with that thinking. 

“So, unfortunately, we bailed out and couldn’t deliver Yuzi [Chahal] back to the fans, but we’re very happy with what we’ve seen with Suyash Sharma. He’s a high-quality leg-spinner who bowls aggressively, and we think he can add value,” Bobat explained. 

Players RCB Purchased At The IPL 2025 Mega Auctions

Here are all of the players RCB purchased at the IPL 2025 auction:

Liam Livingstone (₹8.75 CR), Phil Salt (₹11.5 CR), Jitesh Sharma (₹11 CR), Josh Hazlewood (₹12.5 CR), Rasikh Dar (₹6 CR), Suyash Sharma (₹2.2 CR), Krunal Pandya (₹ 5.75 CR), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (₹10.75 CR), Swapnil Singh (₹ 50L), Tim David (₹3 CR), Romario Shepherd (₹1.5 CR), Nuwan Thushara (₹1.6 CR), Jacob Bethell (₹2.6 CR), Manoj Bhandale (₹30L), Devdutt Padikkal (₹2 CR), Swastik Chhikara (₹30L), Lungi Ngidi (₹1 CR), Abhinandan Singh (₹30L), Mohit Rathee (₹30L)